Severus's Secret
by Hellfire-Princess
Summary: At five Severus gained a sister, his sister, not only that but he gained a secret. At 8 and 3 the two of them lost their mother. At 10 and 5, Lily found out. At 11 and 7, he left for Hogwarts. At 12 and 8, the unthinkable happened. At 13 and 9 they were shattered. At 14 and 1 she became his will to live. At 15 and 11 the secret was out and from the Snake emerged a protective Dragon
1. Chapter 1

Severus's Secret.

 ****This is an AU, it's also called FANfiction, meaning fiction by the fans, if you don't like this, don't read it. I don't care if it doesn't follow cannon, that's why it's AU and Fan fiction, if you don't like that, stick to cannon.****

 **This story is a Marauder Era AU and will feature and OC, don't like, don't read. This is how I write and if you have a problem with it, go jump into the Black Lake.**

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Chapter 1

Helena Eileen Prince, more commonly known as Helena Eileen Snape was born February 16, 1965 to Eileen Snape née Prince and Tobias Snape. She was their second and last child, proceeded by her elder and only brother, Severus Tobias who was older than her by five years. Once happily married, Tobias and Eileen's marriage had been falling apart, resulting in numerous verbal and a fair few physical fights. These fights only got worse after Helena was born, and they grew more and more violent until the smallest thing set Tobias off, often beating his wife and on occasion, his young son. Helena grew up among such occurrences until Helena had her first major spurt of accidental magic - right in front of Tobias. Before Tobias could do anything, Severus was curled protectively over his three year old sister, taking the blows that were about to land on her. When Eileen saw what was happening to her eight year old son, she protected Severus and Helena, putting herself between her once loving husband and her young children. Severus did only what he knew to do, he picked up his sister and he dared to try and slip away. Before running up the stairs, he looked back to see a horrid sight that made him tremble and sink to the floor in fear. Tobias, for he could no longer call the man father, was wildly beating into Severus' mother. Eileen was a frail and sickly woman already, plus her previously acquired wounds and now this, there was no doubt that the two children would lose their mother tonight. And they did, and watched in horror as Tobias beat the life out of his spouse, oblivious to the onlooking children. When Severus saw that his mother was dying, nearly dead, Eileen locked eyes with her son and mouthed _'Go'_ and so he did. Just before Tobias had beaten the life out of Eileen, Severus had made it upstairs with Helena, and he allowed himself to cry for the first and last time in years. Both he and Helena, though the latter was still a bit young to understand at the time, were haunted by the death of their mother and would be for years to come.

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The next two years passed miserably for Severus and Helena, more so for Severus who took most of the beatings, both his and Helena's. It only became worse when the local mill their father was employed at was shut down. Tobias used the majority of their money on alcohol, the man was nearly always drunk nowadays. Now ten and five Severus and Helena would use every chance they got to get out and away from their home with Tobias. It was by chance they stumbled across the small park on the day Lily and Petunia Evans were there. It was also by chance that Lily was showcasing her magic to Petunia, which attracted Helena's attention. Vaguely, the five year old could remember her mother showing her magic tricks, so to we someone else do it captivated the small child. Naturally, Helena did what any child would do, she ran towards it.

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Lily was showing Petunia her magic trick with the little flower when a small, black haired, shabbily dressed little girl came running out of the bushes, staring at Lily. Not a second later, a similarly black haired shabbily dressed boy her age came running out after her.

"Helena!" He scolded lightly to the giggling little girl, scooping her up before noticing Lily's trick. "You're a witch!" He exclaimed excited.

"That's not a very nice thing to say" frowned Lily before Severus hastily corrected himself.

"No, no, you're like me, I'm a wizard and you're a witch" he tried to explain. "We can do magic" his voice dropped to a whisper on the last word, as if he was afraid something would attack him and what must be his sister for saying it.

From that day on, a friendship was formed between Lily and Severus and soon Lily began to help Severus with Helena and suspect his and his sister's life at home.

* * *

"Sev" Lily spoke quietly to her similarly ten year old best friend cautiously, eyeing him as he cradled his Helena's head in his lap as she slept. Severus had shown up after dinner with a limping Helena and after speaking with Mr. and Mrs. Evans it was decided that they would spend the night in the Evans' living room.

"Yeah" he prompted, not looking up.

"You and Helena don't have a good home life with Tobias, do you?" Severus said nothing, only slowly nodding his head after a good minute of hesitation. "Does, does he..." Lily trails off, unable to finish the question.

"Does he beat us?" Severus finished for her; "Yes, he does. Normally," he pauses, looking down at his sister "normally I can stop him from hurting Helena, but I couldn't. I couldn't get to them in time, she had an incident involving accidental magic in front of Tobias and he beat her for it." At this point Severus choked up, unable to continue as he tried to swallow the sob building in his throat. He remembered the panic he felt when he saw Tobias standing over Helena, beating her with his thick leather belt. And he remembered how his mother looked two years ago, in that same position, weak and vulnerable as Tobias beat into her. Severus saw the light leave his mother's eyes and, powered by anger and determination, he jumped in front of Tobias. Severus had allowed his biological sire to lash into him, taking hit after hit for Helena who was sobbing brokenly under him. After another half hour, Tobias turned away with a warning to stay put as used the bathroom. As soon as Tobias was gone though, Severus and Helena fled to the Evans', hoping that Tobias would forget to beat them worse the next day for running.

Lily simply pulled Severus close to her, rubbing his back as he allowed tears to slip from his eyes as he fell into a light and fitful sleep.

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 **I've been gone for a few months, I know, but I'd like to think that I've improved quite a bit. I've also grown more confident in my ability, something I sorely lacked, and moved my focus into another fandom. The last few months I've been consumed by a Harry Potter frenzy and have finally regained my courage to write again. I hope I can be given the chance to regain your interests once more. Please review and tell me what you think, keeping in mind that all reviews I consider flame or bug me about my OC or AU or any other story element that isn't encouraging or assisting will be deleted because I don't have time for that.**

 **~Peace!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Severus's Secret**

 ****This is an AU, it's also called FANfiction, meaning fiction by the fans, if you don't like this, don't read it. I don't care if it doesn't follow cannon, that's why it's AU and Fan fiction, if you don't like that, stick to cannon.****

 **This story is a Marauder Era AU and will feature and OC, don't like, don't read. This is how I write and if you have a problem with it, go jump into the Black Lake.**

 **I would rather not drag this story out with five short, unneeded and most likely unwanted chapters. Therefore I will be compressing the 900 or less word chapters into this one chapter and the next one. Chapter four will pick up with Helena going to Hogwarts.**

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 **Chapter 2**

 **The Summer Before First Year - Leaving**

 **July, 1971**

When both Severus and Lily received their Hogwarts letters they were elated, until they remembered that they would be leaving Helena alone. With Tobias. This was a very problematic situation. Lily may know of the abuse, but her parents did not, both Severus and Helena, while they liked Mr and Mrs Evans, were quite wary of adults, especially Helena. When they had to spend the night at the Evans's home, Severus told them that Helena injured herself playing in the woods; a believable story because the only visible physical damage at the time was a heavily bruised ankle and a few scattered cuts.

 **August, 1971**

Severus looked at the sleeping form of his sister with regret, knowing that by leaving for Hogwarts, he was dooming his little sister to nine months with the monster known as Tobias Snape. They had already had a conversation about him leaving already, with Helena urging him to go, promising to stay out of Tobias's way. The trio of magical children had recently visited Diagon Alley to collect Severus and Lily's supplies for the upcoming school year. They were guided by none other than the recently employed Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor Angelina Vector, an old school friend of their mother who was one year above Eileen, who would be thirty one if she were still alive. Professor Vector had a daughter two years younger than the soon-to-be first years and took great care and patience when showing the three children about Diagon Alley.

Now, there was only one week left before Severus and Lily left for Hogwarts, the former with only one thing on his mind, freeing both himself and Helena - more importantly Helena - from the hell they were supposed to call home. And aceing his potions class, which he found out couldn't be tracked by the ministry in the summer, so he would be able to brew healing potions and salves for himself and Helena over the summer. He planned on owling them to Helena throughout the school year, sending them at the right time so that it would be night when she received them, without Tobias seeing.

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Just under three months into Lily and Severus's first term at Hogwarts, Winter Break began and Severus and Lily left on the Hogwarts Express for Cokesworth. They were picked up by Mr. Evans who informed them that Helena was at their house already.

"Sevvie!" Helena shrieked in glee, rushing to Severus and latching onto him the moment he stepped into the Evans's household.

"Hi, 'Lena" Severus greeted, laughing as he scooped her into a hug.

The two Snape children left for their own house, Severus only carrying a backpack full of clothing as he left his trunk in his dorm at Hogwarts. They entered through the back door cautiously, slipping upstairs when they heard Tobias snoring away in front of the telly.

* * *

"How was Hogwarts?" Helena asked eagerly.

"Lovely" and "Bothersome" were Lily and Sev's respective responses, the latter earning a frown from Lily.

"The school is just fine, Severus" Lily states, crossing her arms.

"Yes, the school is fine, but those arrogant ars-"

"Sev!"

"Fine, toerags, those arrogant toerags named James Potter and Sirius Black have already begun searching me out to bully me. It has rather ruined my first impression of Hogwarts."

"But it's still a great place, right?" Helena asked, scrunching up her forehead in confusion.

"It's wonderful!" Lily praised, sighing slightly at the end of her statement. "We're searching up ways to see if you could come to visit us at Hogwarts during breaks. Perhaps you could come over the Easter holiday."

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The bleak winter months passed dully for Helena, aside from the beatings she revived every time she crossed paths with her father. Every week Severus sent her basic healing and numbing potions he had brewed in secret along with a letter from Lily. They seemed to be enjoying Hogwarts immensely, alas, the wonders of Hogwarts were for Lily and Severus for the next four years.

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 **The Summer Before Second Year - The Unthinkable**

 **June - 1972**

Despite her abuse, Helena was always very child-like, until Severus came back from Hogwarts. In their room, laying in a pool of her own blood was Helena, jerking about and muttering to herself. The blood crusted her hair, skin and clothes, her hair was greasy and unkempt, and her eyes, along with the rest of her face was hidden by a curtain of black hair. She kept twitching and continued to mutter incoherently, only once Severus knelt in the blood next to his sister did he finally hear what she was saying, or rather, what she wasn't. Severus heard nothing coming from his sister's mouth.

"Lena? Helena? Helena, can you hear me?" Severus asked worriedly, looking into the slowly calming eyes of his sister. She nodded and wrapped her arms around her knees, drawing them to her chest.

"Can you talk to me?" She shook her head 'no' and looked down sadly. "Why not?" She raised her head and Severus released a strangled gasp. Her mouth had been expertly sewn together, not with stitches or by a doctor, but with either twine or wire of some sort by someone with experience in sewing or embroidery. Tear tracks streaked from dark obsidian eyes and scars lined her face. Blood stained her lips and chin and her lips were slightly swollen, whenever her mouth was sewn closed, it was recent.

"H-how do you eat?" Severus stuttered, his finger hovering around the monstrosity done to his sister. She parted her lips ever so slightly and mimed tearing food into tiny bits and putting it through the small gap.

* * *

That summer, Helena wouldn't go any farther than the woods beyond her house and Severus, Lily and Helena came up with their own form of sign language to communicate.

 ** _'If we were able to take the wire out, would you be able to speak?'_** Lily signed from the trio's favorite spot near the river. Helena shook her head sadly.

 _ **'He made sure of it, he cut my tongue off from the root, almost as if I was born without it.'**_ Helena signed back, she had grown up since her torture, for that was the only word for her experience.

 **August - 1972**

Alas, Severus and Lily were forced to leave for Hogwarts without Helena, who had decided she would try and live in the woods and the basement of Tobias's home to avoid her father.

 **Christmas, 1972**

Severus and Lily left for Cokesworth for Christmas to see that Helena had been unsuccessful in escaping Tobias's wrath. She had several bruises and a swollen ankle that she was sure was sprained at least. The seven hear old refused to leave Tobias's home out of shame at what he had done to her and all through break, she was plagued by nightmares, thrashing and waking Severus up in the process.

 **February 16, 1973**

Helena had been sent potions and bandages for her eighth birthday, along with a beating that left her in a pool of her own blood and vomit. _'Happy Birthday to me'_ she thought miserably as she felt herself fade into unconsciousness.

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I **hope you all liked this chapter! I took the 'sewn-shut mouth' idea from HiddenBerserker, author of one of my favorite non-HP fics, Battle Scars. I only took the sewn-shut mouth pat though, Kage and Helena are very different in every other aspect.**

 **Guest from Feb. 6th - I'm glad you like the story! Alas, Sev and Helena won't be going anywhere until Chapter Four.**

 **Guest from Feb. 7th - Thank you as well! I'm glad you think my story is incredible, but it must get worse before it gets better. Like I said to Guest from Feb. 6th, Severus and Helena will not be going anywhere. In my universe, (I don't know if it's cannon or not) Eileen was disowned for marrying a muggle and most of her family is dead at the moment, sorry for the inconvenience. ;)**

 **I'm surprised! Two reviews, four favs and eleven follows! Can we make that 5 reviews, 8 favs and 15 follows? Please?**

 **~Peace!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Before I begin this chapter, I would like to address something. A user by the name rudefawn reviewed to the last chapter and I would like to clarify/remark on a few things they pointed out.**

 **1.) Yes, my reasoning for the three not going to any sort of authority is weak, but they are afraid of the consequences if they did tell. I realize I did not address this in the story itself, but they fear death at the hands of Tobias if they were to tell anyone. Lily is scared for Severus and Helena, hence why she isn't telling anyone either.**

 **2.) The previous chapter is as bad as it gets for them, it is the height of their abuse. There won't really be much time for Tobias to do anything after this chapter anyway.**

 **If you guys don't like what I put in the last chapter, you can choose to ignore it, mentally change the events or just stop reading altogether. This won't be a very long story, stopping at the end of Helena's second year or so. It's my experiment story, so to speak, my first venture into the Harry Potter fandom.**

 **I would also like to remind my readers that this is an AU story, characters will act differently and things will be written differently than they are in the books. I am not J.K. Rowling, I'm not going to copy her works and write the same way she does. I am merely a fan of her works and borrowing her characters to use as I wish. If you dislike this, then why are you still reading? I have no time for those who wish to criticise my work.**

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 **The Summer Before Third Year - 1973 - Shattered**

Upon returning to Spinner's End, Severus and Lily were greatly relived to see that Helena was virtually unharmed, save for a few bruises and cuts. She was far better off than she was when they found her last year. Her lips were still sewn shut, and Helena had taken to eating soup - the only thing Tobias would allow her to take from the kitchen. Alas, for her minuscule gains, Helena had lost much. No more was the happy little girl who exited the bushes in the park giggling. No more was the weak little girl who cried after every beating. No more was the little girl who hoped for a guardian angel to come with Severus and Lily from Hogwarts. No more was the girl they once knew. That girl was shattered into millions of pieces, the barest fragments left.

When Lily and Severus returned, they spent over a week and a half coaxing Helena out of the shell she had retreated into. For a full week, she didn't even acknowledge them, and when she did, Helena would simply look at her brother and their best friend with broken black eyes. Sitting stick-thin in old, worn clothes with long, unkempt hair that reached the end of her back and her broken black eyes, she looked like a victim of famine and poverty, which she mostly was. Five days longer it took to get her to 'speak' with them. The three often sat on the forest floor, conversing silently or quietly with each other.

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 **July - 1973**

"Severus, we need to tell someone!" Lily said, trying not to shout.

"What can we do? We tried telling Headmaster Dumbledore first year and last year, but he claimed we were exaggerating! I tried telling Professor Slughorn, but he said that we would have to speak with Dumbledore! We don't have any proof and we're only thirteen, Lily. Who will believe us?" Severus answered, his voice strained in frustration.

"What about using your mum's death. She went to school with some of our professors, surely so-" Lily asks desperately.

"If someone asks, Tobias always says it was an automobile accident, and no one saw her much before her death that everyone believes it." Severus answers tiredly, having had a similar conversation with his best and only friend before.

"We have to do something !" Lily cries in frustration.

"We will, Lils, I promise" Severus swears, hugging the girl before she announces that she has to get back home.

* * *

 **August - 1973**

 _ **'Severus, what are you and Lily planning?'**_ Helena asks, having not missed the conversations Lily and Severus had been having privately.

 _ **'We're trying to find out which of our professors can help us get you and Sev out of here'**_ Lily signs back. _**'The Headmaster doesn't belive us and Sev's head of House isn't any help either.'**_

 _ **'We'll find a way'**_ Severus signs determinedly.

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 **Interlude - 1974**

Severus and Lily came home for Christmas break, and it was now the new year and a mere three days before the two thirteen year olds must leave again. Helena, Severus and Lily were in the cellar looking through some old books they had found of Eileen's and Tobias was at the local pub, to no one's surprise. They were looking for ways to get proof of Severus and Helena's abuse to tell Lily's virtually unapproachable head of house, the strict, no-nonsense, Marauder-loving, Minerva McGonagall.

 _ **'I think I may have found something!'**_ Lily signs after tapping the floor to gain her friends' attention. _**'This book mentions something called a pensive, apparently it's like a bowl that allows you to view someone's memories. It doesn't say anything else about it though.'**_ She shares, holding up a book titled: "Madness and Memories: A Guide to Healing and Diagnosing a Wizard's Mind".

Resolving to research it more at school, Lily sets the book aside and the three youths freeze at the sound of a door slamming. Quickly, Helena shoos Lily from the room, the redhead climbing from a window as Helena and Severus try to sneak up from the cellar. They make it to the stairs where a drunken Tobias spots them. Wordlessly the man lashes out at the two siblings, breaking Severus's nose and sending Helena to her knees from a hit to her stomach. Things escalate ever so slightly from there. Twenty minutes later Tobias is in his bedroom, asleep and bored with beating his children. Said children are moving up the stairs, Severus practically carrying Helena, who took one to many hits to the head and was sent to drift between consciousness and unconsciousness. Severus himself had a split lip, the makings of a bruise under his left eye and was sure at least one of his ribs was cracked.

There and then, carrying his baby sister - for he still saw her as such - he swore that he would take a hundred beatings for Helena, as long as she would be safe in the end. He swore that he would give his life for Helena if it meant she would be able to live the rest of her life without Tobias.

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 **I haven't updated in a month, I know, but there's been some drama at my school (that I have been the center of, to my dismay) and I haven't had much time to focus on writing with the work my teachers are and will be piling onto my shoulders for this next month and a half. I probably want update until June first, that way I'm done with all of my school crap.**

 **The goal for this update was 5 reviews, 8 favs and 15 follows.**

 **We achieved...**

 **12 reviews 8 favs and 16 follows! Thanks so much guys! Except for the rude reviews, I could have done without them. This is my story guys, I write what I want. If you don't like that, why the hell are you still reading it?**

 **By June can I possibly have 16 reviews, 12 favs and 20 follows? Please?**

 **~Peace!**


	4. Chapter 4

I'm deleting my account. I haven't spent time on this site in two months. Before that, I haven't been on the site in about four months. I'm quitting the site, I've lost my interest and my inspiration. If anyone wants to adopt and continue my stories, go ahead.

~×~ Hellfire-Princess.


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